The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-07-07

got 3 woman 10 say abe would have himf
'oh. yes. would" said Lot,ie; q
think you are the incest man In The world
-except"--
Except whom"
Il was going TO say HAIRY
Exceedingly fne compliment you are
paying me. You expect some OF my
choicest iiowers for that It'd bit Of fattery,
Loltic did not reply, but looked in such
CONSERVATION from the rose bush 10 him
self. that the doctor could not but smile.
you would like to hear the story. Well
il never came to my lips before, little miss,
but will give il to you, You see | had
been a medical student under old DR..
West. and when be died J got my diploma
and stuck my shinglc out bore. Soon
after that got acquainted with % trim =
built girl as you ofteu see. and sitter .
while, somehow or other. We became en-
gagged. WAS young and bad my way to
make and we resolved 10 wait two years
before settling down. Over back OF the
hill yonder there lived girl named Nancy
Brown, a pretty, pale creature, who seem.
ed just ready to go off to the angels. /
was called to attend her, and wanted to
do my best. knew they could never pay
me q cent, and perhaps for that very rea :
son went little oftener than ] needed.
Nanny bad one precious thing-her rose.
bush small then. but giving promise OF
great things, 1t did seem as il every body
begrudged it to her, for half the town, in
one way or another. sought to make it
worth her while to give it up.
Perhaps the motives were good. But,
though Nanny was in comparative poverty,
no gold was yellow enough to buy her one
treasure. Well, her fragility proved not
to be incipient consumption after oil.
and time went on until within twenty.four
hours Of my wedding day, and that morn
ing was 10 my office here on the watch
for my sweetheart, who soon, all smiles
and bushes with the consciousness that it
was the last time as maiden, came trip
ping down the street. l went out to meet
her. This bush, not half as large as it is
now, stood here in my window.
"Oh, said my bride that-was to, be, in
pretty rapture, Nancy has sold you her
rose Did you cross it, root aud branch,
with silver coin?'
Not l. Nanny gave 1t to me OF her
own free, sweet will"
A jealous flush came over my girls
proud face.
81 thought, she said, that your visits
there were more frequent than her illness
called for. You love her, and il you are
fair to her your are false to me-.
II made sharp reply. She had charg-
ed me with double dealing. We we're
both terribly angry. The next morning
we were to have been married. That was
fifteen years ago today. and wo have never
spoken together since. Nanny was going
away to fulfil promise made in her
childhood, aud she gave me her rose be-
cause / had saved her life for her lover
Perhaps / had; but she had unknowingly
ruined mine. / kept the bush, and it has
blossomed every month with all its might.
More than one young mother has begged
OF me some dainty buds to clasp in her
dead baby's hand. and many bride has
pleaded with sweet lips, for just few
blossoms to gem her hair. ] have denied
them all, and have never cut one Of the
flowers until it withered on the stem. 1t
was not for Nsnny's sake, either; but,
somehow for the girls whose life was to
have blessed mine"
'But you did not love your sweetheart
much" ventured Lottie, winking of the
salt drops that had collected on her long
las hes.
mot love her' roared the doctor,
"Zoundsl can chit like you undertake
to gauge the depths Of mans soul?"
III you had you would have acted dif-
ferently," bravely asserted this small
council Of ooe, sitting in judgement, with
her chin resting on her hand.
"Acted diferentlyP' thundered the irate
doctor. "Pray, Miss Wisdom, how should
| have acted?'
''You would have said to your sweet
heart, 4 do not love Nanny, but do love
her rose. She is going away and gave it
to me in gratitude. But give the rose
and myself, and all that | have to you, be
cause love you better than all the world.
Then, don't You see that everything would
have been smooth. and you would have
been all these years full Of joy"
"Zoundsl so | shouldl' exclaimed the
excited doctor, rising to his feet. "John.
come in here, he called. Help me wrap
mp this rose tree. There, put it on your
handsled and draw it home for this lady.
and set in the house. And you. little
miss. present it with my compliments and
best wishes to Henrietta Henshsw. Good
heavens, what foolr' said the doctor,
striking bis bald head q vigorous thump,
when left alone.
Lo.tie did as she was bidden, giving
Aunt Hetty such a galvsnic shock as to
paralyze her; but the good lady came to
saongh TO glance furtively down the street
to see really that the ''impertinent white
thing" was no longer staring at her from
from the doctors bay window. She bad
bay window too. looking southwark, and
into il she contrived TO roll the great box
with its wealth OF white blossoms.
The doctor, looking steadily out from
bis dismaniled corner. drew bis own con-
clusions.
"Ahem" said Miss Hetty. "How long
wsuld IL take TO work that nonsense you
were talking AbontY'
al co,f1 ,st - dnr. lv ,foht y gnspad